Sharapova fails drug test

[GameSetAndMath]

She should be inducted into HOS.

 

[tossip]

What is the opinion on this board?

Should she be inducted into HOF?

Will she be inducted into HOF? Slightly different from question above.

no HOF for a doper..who is having the last laugh ...Richard Williams...karma is a b...h..ESPN passe in suicide watch.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

The three person tribunal consisted of one judge and two scientific personnel who have expertise on drugs, PEDS and medicine. All three are appointed by ITF.

When it goes for appeal to CAS, the case will be heard by three judges only (so no scientific personnel). Maria gets to pick one judge, ITF gets to pick one judge and CAS picks one judge.

Any decision by CAS is binding and the case cannot be moved on to the public court system.

 

[kskate2]

I think CAS will uphold the ITF's decision. Not wanting to set a precedence or show favor, they will probably err on the side of caution.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

WADA issued a statement that said it would review the decision and “will subsequently decide whether or not to use its independent right of appeal to (CAS).” WADA could appeal the two-year ban in support of Sharapova, or it could cross-appeal Sharapova’s decision to appeal the punishment

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

I don't know how she thinks she is going to get it reduced when she did not report using it for 3 years to anyone. Isn't it a requirement to enter tournaments to list any substance that you're taking? How does she think she is going to explain that in a light that would get her sentence reduced?

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I don't know how she thinks she is going to get it reduced when she did not report using it for 3 years to anyone. Isn't it a requirement to enter tournaments to list any substance that you're taking? How does she think she is going to explain that in a light that would get her sentence reduced?

Listing what one takes is apparently only a recommendation and not a requirement. However, I don't think she has much chances of getting the ban reduced though. If she did not do the mistake of trying to control the narrative and accept premature that she did take it in 2016, there is some chance that the lawyers could have argued that she did not take it in 2016 (even though it would be a lie) and it was detected as it did not leave her system. She shot herself in the foot by admitting that she took it 2016.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Needless to say that she now has to pay back the prize money earned at AO ( AUs$280,000) and they take off 430 ranking points that she earned there. After removing those 430 ranking points her new ranking will be #34. Of course, after an year of not playing, her ranking points will be 0 and she has to start all over again.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I think CAS will uphold the ITF's decision. Not wanting to set a precedence or show favor, they will probably err on the side of caution.

This really spells it out:

LONDON (AP) — Maria Sharapova was suspended Wednesday for two years for failing a drug test, labeled "the sole author of her own misfortune" because she hid regular pre-match use of a newly banned substance from anti-doping authorities and members of her own entourage.
In 2012, Sharapova reduced her pill intake, but continued with meldonium, the panel found.

Meldonium — not approved for use in the United States or European Union — increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity by carrying more oxygen to the muscles.

"The manner of its use, on match days and when undertaking intensive training, is only consistent with an intention to boost her energy levels," the ruling says. "It may be that she genuinely believed that mildronate had some general beneficial effect on her health but the manner in which the medication was taken, its concealment from the anti-doping authorities, her failure to disclose it even to her own team, and the lack of any medical justification must inevitably lead to the conclusion that she took mildronate for the purpose of enhancing her performance."

The panel found that only Sharapova's manager, Max Eisenbud of IMG, and her father knew she was taking the drug then.

In what Wednesday's report refers to as "the evident implausibility of his account," Eisenbud said during the panel's two-day hearing last month that he would check Sharapova's list of medications against WADA's list of prohibited substances during an annual Caribbean vacation after the season ended, but he did not take that same trip in 2015 and, therefore, did not do his usual cross-check.

"The idea that a professional manager, entrusted by IMG with the management of one of its leading global sporting stars, would so casually and ineptly have checked whether his player was complying with the anti-doping (program), a matter critical to the player's professional career and her commercial success, is unbelievable," the tribunal wrote.

Sharapova also did not note her use of mildronate on any of the seven doping control forms she turned in from Oct. 22, 2014, to Jan. 26, 2016, the panel found.

"She must have known that taking a medication before a match, particularly one not currently prescribed by a doctor, was of considerable significance," the decision says. "This was a deliberate decision, not a mistake."

Keeping her use of meldonium secret from her team and anti-doping authorities constituted "a very serious breach of her duty to comply with the rules," the panel ruled.

Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev told the Tass news agency that Ekaterina Makarova would take Sharapova's spot on the country's Summer Games roster. Makarova is ranked 36th, 10 spots below Sharapova this week.

This was very blatant and Pova proved to be the "Architect" of her own demise. She aint coming BACK any time soon even via an appeal.

 

[10isfan]

Pova did not shoot herself in the foot by admitting to ingesting in 2016. Her concentration is way over anything that could be explained by renal or hepatic differences in drug elimination/detoxification.

Can someone explain this three years timeframe when she didn't list the drug on the testing sheet? I am confused by that. Is the implication that she listed it before and after?

 

[special700]

Maria banned for two years by the tribunal that heard her case. I think it is a fair decision. :clap

If you actually read the PDF she should have gotten 4 yrs. That document is damning as hell.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

It was not just before Serena's match. Pova admitted to taking Meldonium on the morning of each one of the five matches she played at AO.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Some excerpts from Dr. Skalny's presciptions are given below. Apparently, Maria decided to stop consulting him and take matters into her own hands from 2013. Until then apparently Dr. Skalny made sure meticulously that all his prescriptions, even though unethical, actually complied with WADA regulations.

Now for the fun part.

“Mildronate 1-2 X 10, repeat in 2 wks (before training or competition)”

“1 hr before competition, 2 pills of Mildronate”

“During games of special importance, you can increase your Mildronate dose to 3-4 pills (1 hr before the match). However, it is necessary to consult me on all these matters (please call)”

“30 minutes prior to a training session: Mildronat – 1 Capsule. 30-45 minutes prior to a tournament Mildronat 2 capsules”.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Maria banned for two years by the tribunal that heard her case. I think it is a fair decision. :clap

If you actually read the PDF she should have gotten 4 yrs. That document is damning as hell.

Yes.. I read that too.. It should have been 4 years

 

[kskate2]

She should be inducted into HOS.

:laydownlaughing I'm just now catching this. You mean Hall of Shame, right? :devil

 

[the AntiPusher]

She should be inducted into HOS.

:laydownlaughing I'm just now catching this. You mean Hall of Shame, right? :devil

Think about it, she really shouldnt be in the HOF because she has admitted she has been doping for more than 10 years without a real medical reason. Just like the cyclist like Lance Armstrong or the baseball players who have tested positive like Arod.. no HOF but HOS.. all dopers who got CAUGHT

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Finished reading the whole 33 pages (I should get a life) of the report. The judgement seems to be very fair and all the provisions of the code seem to have been applied properly.

The backdating of the ban to Jan 26 instead of to March 12 is for rewarding Maria in accepting the test results without contesting it. The final conclusion paragraph and the decision from the report is given below verbatim.

Conclusion:

"The contravention of the anti-doping rules was not intentional as Ms Sharapova did not appreciate that Mildronate contained a substance prohibited from 1 January 2016. However she does bear sole responsibility for the contravention, and very significant fault, in failing to take any steps to check whether the continued use of this medicine was permissible. If she had not concealed her use of Mildronate from the anti-doping authorities, members of her own support team and the doctors whom she consulted, but had sought advice, then the contravention would have been avoided. She is the sole author of her own misfortune"

Decision:

For the reasons given above, the Tribunal unanimously makes the following decision:
(1) An anti-doping rule violation contrary to article 2.1 of the TADP was committed by Maria Sharapova as a result of the presence of Meldonium in the samples collected from her at the Australian Open on 26 January 2016 and out of competition in Moscow on 2 February 2016;
(2) Under article 9.1 the player is automatically disqualified in respect of her results in the 2016 Australian Open Championship, forfeits 430 WTA ranking points and prize money of AUS$281,633 obtained in that competition;
(3) Under article 10.2 the period of ineligibility to be imposed is 2 years;
(4) Under article 10.10.3(b) the period of ineligibility shall commence on 26 January 2016.
Under article 12 this decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport

 

[special700]

Max should have been more vigilant. He and her dad were the only ones who knew, and they let her down. I can imagine the tension between Pova and her dad over this. I wonder what Pova will do with Max. I am also curious what the CEO of Head will do. He refused to drop her, which was perplexing.

The WTA would be wise to quickly move on from this. Focus on Serena who is adding to her legacy and Mugu who is now a slam winner and has marketing potential.

Why the three years when she didn't report on the drug testing sheet? Was she reporting before and after those years?

Maria is an adult she knows right from wrong. Don't blame her dad or her manager.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Maria banned for two years by the tribunal that heard her case. I think it is a fair decision. :clap

If you actually read the PDF she should have gotten 4 yrs. That document is damning as hell.

I read it completely. But, unlike you, I agree with their decision of 2 years. The thing is even though Maria was doing the unethical thing all along of taking a drug that she did not really need for any medical reasons (she took it primarily for enhancing performance), she did not realize that it was in actual violation of the WADA code (after all it was not in violation of WADA code till end of 2015). In that sense, she committed an unintentional violation. Hence, she was not given four years.

However, it is her duty and no one else's duty to realize that she was in fact committing a violation and is keeping up with the change in list of prohibited substances. So, she got the maximum possible ban that could be given for an unintentional violation. I think the judgement is fair; neither harsh nor lenient.

Leaving aside the legal side, on the morality side it is very clear that she was taking the drug with full knowledge that it is performance enhancing.

 

[special700]

What is the opinion on this board?

Should she be inducted into HOF?

Will she be inducted into HOF? Slightly different from question above.

My opinion is she should have gotten 4 frigging years.